Manager Joe Maddon said there wouldn't be a straight platoon (Brignac swings lefty, Johnson is a switch-hitter) nor a set pattern.

"I don't want to be committed to that. You're going to see more of Elliot. Let's put it that way," Maddon said. "I think he's done a nice job."

Brignac has struggled since inheriting the starting job following the trade of Jason Bartlett, hitting .179 with one extra-base hit and a .212 on-base percentage. Johnson, after going 1-for-3 Tuesday with his second homer, is batting .260 overall, including .353 over his past five starts.

"I wanted to just give them both an opportunity a little bit," Maddon said. "You're going to see them both bounce back and forth a little bit right now."

Johnson, 27, said he welcomes the chance to play more. "If I get the opportunity to do that, great," he said. "And hopefully I can just continue to help this team win."

TOUGH ROAD: The Rays left after the game on a grueling road trip to Toronto, South Florida and Detroit that includes two 4 a.m. arrivals (this morning and Friday) and two afternoon games in the Miami heat, and the illogical scheduling of flying through basically the same airspace four times in logging 4,464 miles.

"We've just got to watch our guys," Maddon said. "We've got to make sure somebody gets some rest here or there and really be cognizant of that. You've got to. You could run somebody in the ground right now at the end of May easily if you don't pay attention to it. By the time we get (to Miami), I'm probably going to be the most concerned with how our guys are doing."

C Kelly Shoppach said that between the travel and the heat, it also will be important to stay hydrated.

Then again, the Rays could have made it easier on themselves by playing Tuesday's game in the afternoon, though that would have affected attendance and TV ratings.

ENCORE PERFORMANCE: The Rays would love for RHP Jeremy Hellickson to go out tonight and stage a repeat performance of his last start, a complete-game shutout of the Orioles. But what he won't get to do is throw anywhere near the career-high 120 pitches he racked up Friday.

The 24-year-old rookie likely will be limited to 100-105 pitches, though Maddon said he doesn't want to make it a hard rule. "I don't want to put any real restraints on him," Maddon said. "It's his time to become a major-league pitcher and I want him to go out there and pitch. I don't want him to be thinking about things like that. I've just got to watch it."

Hellickson flew ahead to Toronto on Tuesday afternoon to get a full night's rest.

J.P. DUTY: LHP J.P. Howell appears set to rejoin the Rays on Friday. He made his final scheduled rehab appearance on Tuesday for Class A Charlotte, throwing 27 pitches over 11/3 innings and allowing a run on two hits. "As of right now, he's all set to go,'' Maddon said.

MISCELLANY: 3B Evan Longoria was 0-for-4, dropping him to .111 (with no extra-base hits) over his past four games. … DH Johnny Damon had his third three-hit game. … Maddon said RHP Andy Sonnanstine will definitely make a third start on Friday at the Marlins, as the Rays want to give him another chance to show improvement on the mound and want to take advantage of his hitting ability (a .318 career average) while playing under NL rules. … The Rays presented grants to 15 nonprofit organizations in a pregame ceremony.

There is a reason why the air in Tampa Bay is filled with playoff talk. If Thursday night's 12-8 Bucs preseason win over the Jaguars is any indication, it's also going to be filled with footballs thrown by quarterback Jameis Winston.

TORONTO — Two pitches RHP Chris Archer didn't execute are the ones that stood out Thursday as Josh Donaldson hit them out of the park. But the two solo home runs aside, Archer turned in a sterling outing that went atop the pile of good pitching the Rays keep wasting.

CLEARWATER — Tracey Fritzinger has seen Tim Tebow play baseball a few times this year. The 40-year-old St. Petersburg resident went to two of his games against the Tampa Yankees, along with Joy, her little sister from Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.